Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews

  The Great Sex Rescue – Challenging Harmful Evangelical Messages   By Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, & Joanna Sawatsky   Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton Review Summary The Great Sex Rescue is an evangelical Christian approach that challenges messages in several other Christian sex books, which do not focus on the sexual pleasure of women. In addition, the three writers challenge messages that emphasize dutiful wives meeting their husband’s sex needs regardless of how she feels or what aspects of a sexual experience would bring her more wholistic pleasure. When biblical texts have been interpreted in unfriendly ways, the authors offer a more woman-friendly interpretation. More troubling are Christian sexual activity messages that may encourage men to simply use their wives for their pleasure or even abuse them. After explaining their concerns, the authors offer suggestions for better sex including addressing medical problems that can interfere w

  BOOKS on SEX & RELIGION [Most, but not all, focus on the Christian Faith] Book Review List I read several books along with research articles when I wrote A House Divided: Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures . Following is a list of book summaries and reviews and availability of the books.   A House Divided : Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures by Geoffrey W. Sutton Read Review s BUY on AMAZON BUY on GOOGLE Christian Morality:   An Interdisciplinary Framework for Thinking about Contemporary Moral Issues by Geoffrey W. Sutton and Brandon Schmidly, editors    BUY ON AMAZON *****     Authentic Human Sexuality by Judith & Jack Balswick (links to 3rd edition) Read Review BUY on AMAZON BUY on GOOGLE     God and Sex : What the Bible Really Says   by Michael Coogan    Read Review   BUY on AMAZON BUY on GOOGLE The Great Sex Rescue by Gregoire, Lindenbach, & Sawatsky       Book Review     AMAZON     GOOGLE   Sex God

  Authentic Human Sexuality             An Integrated Christian Approach   By    Judith K. Balswick    Jack O. Balswick Reviewed by    Geoffrey W. Sutton The Balswicks provide a primer on human sexuality for evangelical readers. They draw on scientific research and integrate those findings with a Christian worldview. In contrast to authentic sexuality in the context of relationships, they illustrate inauthentic sexuality in terms of harassment, pornography, and rape. I read their book in the context of writing A House Divided: Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures (2016). The book is divided into four parts. The first part reviews human sexuality. They opine that “all human beings struggle with their sexual nature and come short of the sexual wholeness that God intended (p. 14).” They advocate readers approach the subject with “humility and compassion.” They present authentic sexuality as that which is ‘real, genuine, believable, and trustworthy.” Part one contin

  God and Sex What the Bible Really Says   By     Michael Coogan   2010 Reviewed by    Geoffrey W. Sutton Coogan sets the stage for a biblical view of sex by citing the popularity of the Bible in US society--over 90% of us have "The Book." He challenges readers who believe the Bible is simply "God's Word" rather than a collection of works by multiple authors to consider some obvious inconsistencies easily recognized by anyone who has taken the time to read the text. Coogan want readers to see the unfolding of the biblical message in ways that allows a nuanced approach to modern life. Thus, he will write about women as equals, sexual prohibitions, and the stories of rape. Chapter 1 We begin with an invitation to see the biblical past as life in a foreign country with a different language, culture and values. He quickly shows readers love and sex through the eyes of the Song of Solomon. Then opens readers' eyes to biblical sex by lifting the veil of euphemisms

UNPROTECTED TEXTS The Bible’s Surprising Contradictions   about Sex and Desire Author:   Jennifer Wright Knust Date: 2011 Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton Knust’s book, Unprotected Texts , has an intriguing title for anyone thinking about the sex-related moral issues constantly in the news. I purchased a copy of her book as I was writing A House Divided:Sexuality, Morality, and Christian Cultures , and I’m glad I did because I referenced some of her insights. Knust has impressive credentials. At the time she wrote Unprotected Texts , Knust had a Ph.D., from Columbia University and was an Associate Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Boston University School of Theology. She’s also an ordained American Baptist pastor. Unprotected Texts is a well written book, which addresses biblical sex in six chapters with primary titles that do not easily identify the subject matter until you’ve read a few pages.  In this review, I’ll prov